The musical score of Wishin' and Hopin'
was created by composer Matthew Llewellyn. Growing up with music and learning
to play classical piano and guitar in his early years, Llewellyn went on to
attend Berklee College of Music, where he began scoring for short films while
studying Film Scoring and Music/Business Management. After pursuing a degree in
Scoring for Motion Picture and Television at the University of Southern
California, Llewellyn went on to create the musical scores for Dead Souls, Remains andDeep in the Darkness.

Recorded with the
Slovak National Symphony Orchestra
the score of Wishin' and Hopin' has a nostalgic air to it and a
bit of familiarity to it. Appearing throughout is a theme that sounds very
similar to that found in John Williams'
score for Home Alone, a score
also used frequently in LexusChristmas commercials. The theme appears in
various formats and speeds, performed by different varieties of instruments, but
the sound is still the same. That air of nostalgia is perfect for the film,
reminding us that the narrator of the film is looking back on a very fond memory
in his past. The rare ominous sounding moment in the soundtrack is not as
ominous as it could be, sounding like something one would expect to hear as the
Evil Queen
makes her presence known in Once Upon a Time.

The music is enjoyable and fun
and the theme sticks in your head, but I find it too close to John Williams'
theme to truly praise it for it's uniqueness. That's not to say that the Wishin' and Hopin' Soundtrack isn't fun to listen to, or perfect for the
type of movie it was created for, just not all that creatively unique.